Beyond Religion

In 1999 His Holiness The Dalai Lama published the bestselling Ancient Wisdom: Modern World , which addressed the question of ethics for the new millennium. A decade later, His Holiness enters the contemporary debate about religion vs atheism, and returns to the theme of ethics with a major new work: Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World . In this thought-provoking new book he argues that religion is not a necessity for pursuing a spiritual life. Rather, focusing on tolerance and understanding between religions, as well as tolerance and understanding between believers (of any faith) and non-believers is the way forward. The way to achieve such an approach, he proposes, is through a system of secular ethics grounded in a deep appreciation of our common humanity. Aimed particularly at the general reader, Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World is a modern-day polemic which outlines those ethics he believes should be central to our lives.